A Young Turtles Story
by MARSHMELLOWTOASTIE
Summary: A young turtles story that focuses mainly on Raphael and how his family cope with his unknown illness.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own the TMNT. They are owned by Nickelodeon. I didn't create them. They were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. I don't make any money from this fan fiction and I never will. This is for entertainment purposes only.

12 years ago-

Surprisingly, the turtles didn't have a lot of health problems when they were babies. They didn't need to eat that much and could mostly survive on what Splinter found in the sewers. As they got older though and needed more food, Splinter had to start scavenging on the surface a lot more often. But scavenging is not a reliable source of food and more often than not, food was scarce. Sometimes he would be gone for days at a time, risking his life up on the surface. He was doing the best that he could. Often going without, so that his sons would have enough to eat.

But there was a problem though. One that didn't start to show itself until later. The turtles had been looked after well in the pet shop. The brothers were strong and healthy, so it took quite a while for their health to start deteriorating. Even when they had plenty of food, the problem was that it wasn't the right type of food and they weren't getting the right nutrition. Master Splinter didn't know what the cause was at the time but it started to affect their growth, they had no energy and got sick a lot more often. Raphael was effected the worst of the four turtles. It got so bad at one point that he couldn't get up out of his nest of blankets for months.

When his three brothers were eventually allowed out to explore the sewers and sit in the sun rays coming through the sewer grate, watching the humans' feet as they walked by; Raph was stuck lying in a cardboard box, covered in blankets waiting in the dark for them to come home.

That was another puzzle that Master Splinter couldn't solve. Why were his three other sons getting healthier, putting on weight and growing stronger, while little Raphael was only getting worse? He made sure that he was given more food than any of the others, but he was still much smaller than them. His skin stuck to his bones and he was growing weaker as time went by.

Unfortunately things have to get worse before they can get better. And worse they got. Raphael's shell started to become soft and would damage very easily. One day when Splinter came home with food after a particularly long scavenging trip all three of Raphael's brothers ran to the entrance of the lair to hug and greet their father. His dad had been gone for three days, and his brothers had left him alone for nearly the entire day before. Raph had been so lonely and missed his father so much, he just had to go hug him that instant. He couldn't wait for Master Splinter to come to him.

He tried to get up but was barely able to get to his feet before he fell back and landed hard on his carapace where a piece broke off of the lip of his shell. It was the worst pain the young turtle had ever experienced. It was like there was a fire burning through his entire shell. He screamed for his dad. He didn't cry. Crying couldn't convey the amount of pain he was in.

The physical pain was agonising yes, but this wasn't purely about the physical. It was the pain of years of struggling to survive. While his brothers also struggled, at least they got to live. It wasn't fair. He wasn't living; he was just surviving and the pain was too much. He screamed and just kept screaming. He didn't know what else to do. There was nothing else that he could do and unfortunately there was nothing Master splinter could do either.

Not long after that, sores started appearing on Raph's shell. First they were only around the original wound site but then they spread over his carapace and to his plastron as well.

"Eww, Waphie stinks. Baby Waphie had a' accident again," Mikey giggled to himself, amused by what he perceived as incredibly witty jokes.

"I didn't have a' accident," Raph whined defensively, already feeling his eyes start to tear up. It was true that he had, had accidents in the past when there was no one around to help him to the toilet, but he couldn't help that. He didn't do it on purpose and it was always humiliating when he had to tell Leo or Master Splinter what he had done. He could do nothing but lie there feeling useless and utterly disgraced as they took away the dirty blankets and wrapped him up in fresh ones.

"Sure you didn't, Baby Waphie," Mikey kept on teasing.

"I didn't have a' accident and I'm not a baby, I'm older than you," Raph balled up his fists as he tried to yell at his brother, tears of frustration leaking from his eyes.

"You're smaller than me, you still wet the bed and you cry all the time. That makes you a baby," Mikey folded his arms looking down at his smaller, older brother curled up in the cardboard box.

"What's going on in here?" Leo demanded as he walked into their shared bedroom. He was only a toddler but was already the unofficial leader who was put in charge when their father was away.

"Waphie had a' accident," Mikey giggled.

"I didn't," Raph protested, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Mikey you shouldn't tease Waph. Now leave." He pointed to the doorway and Mikey slumped out of the room. He never liked being told off.

"You should have called me if you needed to go," Leo said sympathetically to his younger brother.

"But I didn't have a' accident Weo," Raph shook his head while rubbing at his eyes with his fists.

"It's okay Waph, I'll change your bed. There's no need to be embawwassed," Leo comforted as he went to pull the blanket off of his brother but Raph grabbed the blanket and refused to let go.

"I need to change your blankey Waph," Leo said a little firmer and pulled the blanket from his younger brother's grip.

"But I didn't," Raph sobbed uselessly as Leo took his blanket off of him.

"Huh? It's dwy." Leo exclaimed puzzled.

"Told you."

"Then what's that smell?" Leo gave back the blanket then got to work sniffing around the area. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he got closer to Raph, who shrunk back as far as he could from his brother and pulled his blanket up over his head.

"That smell is coming from you."

Raph shook his head, still hiding under his blanket.

Taking the blanket away, Leo got a whiff of Raph up close. The odour was an assault to his nostrils. He felt like he was going to be sick but tried to hide it for Raph's sake.

"Daddy gave me a bath before he weft. I don't know why I stink?" Raph felt like he had only just stopped crying over Mikey's teasing when the sobs and tears started up all over again.

Leo looked his younger brother over. He knew Raph had to be clean because he'd helped their father give him his bath just the other day. He gasped in shock when he looked at Raphael's back. There was bloody puss smeared over his shell and one of his scutes had fallen off. That was where the awful smell was coming from.

"Donnie come quick, Waph needs help," Leo called out urgently.

Donnie stumbled into the room as fast as his lanky legs and comically large feet could carry him.

"What's wrong?" He knelt down next to Raph, his eyes frantically scanning his brother over until he saw the mess of a shell that Leo was looking at. "Oh."

"What does "oh" mean?" Raph looked between his two brothers. His fear was as obvious as if someone had written it over his face.

"How do you feel Raph?"Donnie put his hand on his brother's forehead frowning when he felt how hot he was.

"My back hurts and it's itchy."

"Anything else?"

"I'm really cold."

"You have a fever. Leo help me get Raph into the bath tub. He needs to cool down and we need to clean his shell."

Donnie and Leo each slung one of Raph's arms over their shoulders then proceeded to lift him out of his box. Raph whimpered when being lifted shifted his sore shell around but he insisted that he was alright. At this point Raph's legs were virtually useless. He had only just learned how to walk on his own before he was bed ridden with illness. So his legs hung limply just above the ground as his brothers carried him between them towards the bathroom.

They sat him down in the tub and started running the lukewarm water.

"Too cold Donnie," Raph complained as he rubbed his shivering arms.

"You have a fever. You only feel cold but you're actually too hot," Donnie explained.

"Can't you add a liddle bit more warm?" Raph reached out for the hot tap but was stopped by his younger brother.

"I'm sorry Raph but I can't make it any hotter than this."

Raph pulled his limbs further into his shell, trying to conserve his body heat as he shivered. Small sniffing sounds could be heard as he tried not to cry in front of his brothers again.

Leo supported his sick brother as Donnie filled up a container of water and slowly started pouring it down Raphael's back. The sniffing turned to whimpers, to cries, until the water ran down into the wound where his scute had lifted off and he could no longer contain the wail that escaped his throat. He thrashed out at his brothers, at the water, at whatever was in his reach. He kicked and screamed at the fire that was burning through his shell, down his spine and spreading to his entire body.

It was at this moment that Master Splinter returned home from his scavenging trip on the surface. Hearing his sick son's cries of agony, he dropped his bag without a second thought and rushed into the bathroom. Michelangelo followed after him but stopped at the door, cautiously peaking into the room.

Kneeling by the bathtub, Splinter took a few calming breaths to compose himself. He did not want his own panic to add to his sons' distress; and he knew that he would need to think with a clear head. He began assessing the situation.

"What is wrong my sons?" He asked. His voice sounding much more calm and in control than he was really feeling on the inside.

"Raph's sick," Leo started howling, grabbing onto his father's leg. He was so relieved that his father had returned. "I don't want to be in charge any more Daddy."

"It is all right my son, I am here now. Please go look after Michelangelo. Your brother and I can take care of Raphael."

Leonardo took a hold of Mikey's hand as they left the bathroom together.

Raph sat in the tub, taking short sharp breaths, trying to ride out the rest of the pain as it started to receded but his breathing soon turned into hyperventilating.

"No Raph, slow down. Take slow deep breaths," Donnie urged.

Raph couldn't respond. He wanted to slow his breathing down but he couldn't. He was scared he would never stop. He frantically grabbed onto his father's hand as he started to become light headed. And then everything went black.

Master Splinter took care of Raphael all that night, but his health only deteriorated further. He did not wake up all night, but his sleep was not peaceful. His skin was hot to touch and the sores on his shell and the smell of rotting flesh they produced only worsened as the night went on.

Splinter left the lair early the next morning. He did not tell his sons where he was going, just that he would be back by night fall, they were not to leave the lair and they had to look after Raphael while he was gone.

Splinter crouched low, hiding in the shadows cast into the alley by the buildings surrounding it. He looked down at the pile of purses and wallets at his feet and then up at the wad of cash he was holding in his paws. He had never stolen anything in his life, not even as a child. He felt guilt to start gnaw at his stomach but pushed that out of his mind and instead thought of his son Raphael, lying unconscious in his cardboard box in the sewers. If he did not receive proper medical care soon, he would surely die.

The vet that Splinter had spoken to on the phone had promised to keep his clinic open late so that he could examine Raphael. Splinter had told the man that this was a very rare species of turtle that he would be treating but had purposely neglected to tell him that the rare turtle was in fact a turtle/human hybrid. Just as he had also not told the vet that he was a giant humanoid rat. He instead told the man that he was born disfigured so he had little interaction with people and preferred to keep himself covered.

It was risky and he did not know if he would be able to pull off the lie. One mistake would expose himself and Raphael. If he was captured, his sons at home would never be able to survive on their own. To save his son, he would have to risk the lives of his other three. But what choice did he have? Raphael was dying.

The sun was setting and Splinter decided it was time to fetch his son to take to the vet. He had been gone for most of the day collecting bags, purses and wallets. He was in the richer area of the city and chose his targets carefully. He needed as much money as he could get, so he tried to take from the richest looking people he could find. Of course looks can be deceiving but he had managed to collect a fair amount of money that way. He hoped that it was enough. He hoped that whatever he did tonight, it would be enough to save his son.

When Splinter returned to the lair that night, his three sons were huddled around the fourth who was sleeping fitfully, covered in sweat and tangled up in his blanket which was wet and stank of urine.

"Do not worry my sons. I will take care of Raphael now," he reassured as he reached into the box and picked up his frail son. He could feel the heat radiating off of the young turtle's skin and knew he must hurry. "I am taking Raphael with me for a while."

"But Daddy he needs a bath. He had a' accident," Leo tried explaining as he tugged on his father's robe.

"Not now Leonardo. I must take Raphael somewhere so that he can get better. Look after your brothers while I am gone. I will be back as soon as I can." With that, he wrapped a scarf around his neck, pulled on a large hooded coat, then tucked a pair of gloves into his pocket and left the lair. The three turtle tots stood at the entrance of the lair and watched as their father disappeared into the sewer tunnels, their brother disappearing with him.

Michelangelo tightly gripped onto his two brothers, burying his head into their plastrons. "What's gonna happen to Waphie, Don?" He asked between sobs.

"I don't know?" He answered still staring into the tunnel his father and brother had disappeared down.

"Is he ever coming back?" Mikey whispered.

"I don't know," Donatello's throat tightened and his voice quivered. He wished he could tell his little brother what was going on but he didn't have a clue either.

"I was so mean to him. I didn't mean to be mean to Waphie. I just didn't want to be the baby anymore. It was only jokes."

Leo put a comforting arm around both of his little brothers. He needed to do something before things got even worse.

"Come on guys let's get something to eat," He suggested while leading his brothers towards the kitchen.

"Eat what? Dad didn't bring any food home," Donnie pointed out while he opened and closed cupboard doors looking for food.

"What was he doing when he was gone all day then?" Mikey asked curiously.

They looked at each other, the same bewildered look mirrored on all of their faces.

Lifting the lid Mikey reached into the bottom of the bin and shouted triumphantly as he managed to scoop up a handful of worms.

"Worms. Eugh," Donnie stuck his tongue out disgusted. Worms were his least favourite food.

"Hold these Don," Mikey plopped the worms into his brother's hands, "Come on Weo lets go algae diving," he took Leonardo's hand and they headed off towards the pool to collect the algae for dinner.

"Great, worms and algae. My two least favourite foods mixed together," Donnie flicked the worms off of his hand and into a bowl. He stood on the step stool and washed his hands in the kitchen sink, shuddering as he watched the worms wriggling around.

By the time they had finished eating their meal of worms and algae it was too dark to play so Leonardo decided it was time they all headed off to bed. The smell of blood, sweat and urine assaulted their noses as soon as they walked into their bedroom. Stepping out of the room again Leo ordered Mikey to stay out in the kitchen as the two older brothers took care of the smell.

Leo picked up the sodden blankets and held them at arms length as he took them out of the lair. Donnie was right behind him, carrying the cardboard box, the bottom of which was reduced to a wet mush.

"You take the box far away and I'll start washing Waph's blankey."

Donnie nodded and walked off to carry out his orders.

They slept on the couch that night while the bedroom aired out. All except Leonardo, who stayed up all night waiting for his father to bring his little brother home.

The sun had only just risen and was starting to filter into their home from the surface when Leo heard the noise of the turnstiles at the lairs entrance.

"Dad's home," he shouted while shaking his brothers awake.

The three boys ran to the entrance of their home enthusiastically hugging their father and not letting go until Splinter requested that they all head into the kitchen because he needed to talk to them. They stepped away looking up at their father who they noticed was carrying a box in each arm but no Raphael. They followed him into the kitchen and each sat in their own chairs, propped up on cushions as Splinter laid the two boxes down on the table. He set the kettle boiling and then sat down to talk with his sons.

"Where's Waphie?" Mikey asked the question they were all desperate to hear the answer to.

"Raphael is here," he pulled the cardboard box that had holes cut in the top closer to him and opened the lid. He lifted out a sleepy eyed Raphael and held him close to his chest, careful to avoid the gauze bandage protecting his damaged shell. The turtle snuggled closer to his father and instantly fell asleep; though a much more peaceful sleep than the night before.

All three brothers cried out in joy at having their brother back with them.

"I am sorry if I have worried you my sons, that was not my intention. Please forgive me."

"Of course we 'give you," Leonardo spoke for his brothers and the others nodded in agreement.

"I am glad that I have been forgiven, but we have even more reason to be glad today. Because last night I was able to find out what was wrong with Raphael and now he is going to get better."

Another chorus of cheers sounded throughout the kitchen. The noise woke Raphael from his slumber and he blearily looked around the kitchen giving a weak smile when he saw his brothers.

"Go back to sleep my son," Splinter soothed, his gentle rocking already lulling him back to sleep.

The three turtles all watched as their father kissed Raphael's head before putting him back in the box.

"Raphael will need a lot of rest, so please remain quiet. There is much I need to tell you also."

Splinter pulled all of the objects out of the other box. Everything was brand new, still in its packaging. The turtles had never owned anything that hadn't been found in a dumpster or the sewers before. This was one of the most fascinating things they had ever seen. Master Splinter opened up a box and pulled out a lamp. Donatello quickly grabbed the manual that fell out with it, ecstatic over the chance of something new to read.

"Turtle basking lamp," Donatello read out loud.

"Can you please read out how to install it Donatello?" Splinter asked his son.

"I can do it myself." He announced after reading over the booklet.

"Alright but please be careful my son," Splinter advised.

It was only a matter of minutes before Donnie announced that he was done setting up the lamp above the couch. When he flicked the switch, it instantly turned on and started emitting a soft glow and warmth.

Master Splinter lay his sleeping son down on the couch underneath the lamp's light.

"What's it for?" Mikey asked looking up at the light mesmerised.

"It emits UVA, UVB light and heat. These affect the growth rate, activity, mood and the immune system as well as the production of vitamin D3 in turtles." Donatello butted in, reading from the booklet before his father could answer.

The look on Mikey's face showed he did not understand a word of what his brother had just said.

"The light will make Waph better," Leo explained in terms that would be easier for Mikey to understand.

"Oh, why didn't you just say that?" he asked the brainy brother.

"The lamp is not only for Raphael, all of you will be able to use it," Master splinter explained.

"Cool," Mikey climbed up onto the couch to find out what was so incredible about this lamp. Pretty soon he was snoring and drooling, snuggled up next to his brother, completely unaware of what was happening around him in the waking world.

"What else did you get for Raph?" Donnie asked, hoping there would be something else he would get to read or assemble.

Splinter pulled out several bottles of vitamins, which Donnie snaffled up quickly, his eyes pouring over the labels.

"Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Calcium," he was trembling with joy at the sight of the ingredients written in new scientific terms and measured in units even he didn't understand.

"These vitamins are for you all as well, although Raphael will need to take them much more regularly," Splinter explained.

"But they'll definitely make him better? He'll be like us. Right Dad?" Leo asked, needing to hear his father say it again, to make sure that it was true. Not like all those nights where he would dream that Raphael was able to run around the lair with them, swim in the pool, explore the tunnels and sit next to him as they watched the humans through the sewer grate; only to wake up to the most heart wrenching scene in the world. Raphael's snotty, tear stained face looking over at Leo, sleeping with his other two brothers while he was trapped alone in his box, hugging his blankey in his arms for comfort in the middle of the night, as he longed to be able to walk over to their pile and curl up with them.

"Yes my son. He will be well again." Splinter knelt down on the floor and embraced his eldest son. Donatello walked up to his father and put a hand on his shoulder when his eyes started welling up with tears.

"Are you okay Daddy?" Donnie asked concerned. "Raph's gonna be better. Why are you sad?"

"I am not crying because I am sad Donatello. I am crying because I am happy and relieved that all will be well," Splinter explained as he pulled Donatello close to him as well. He held them both close to his heart as he looked over to the couch at his other two sons. Raphael had his arms wrapped around Michelangelo with his face buried into his plastron. The look on his face as he slept was one of peace and contentment. Splinter had not seen his son sleep that soundly in months.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own the TMNT. They are owned by Nickelodeon. I didn't create them. They were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. I don't make any money from this fan fiction and I never will. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Michelangelo sat on the bench watching his father stir a pot of algae and worms.

Splinter turned his back to him to fetch the bowls from the cupboard. Now was his chance. He pulled the mixing spoon out of the pot along with a glob of the wriggling goop and stuck the spoon in his mouth licking it clean. He giggled sneakily, ready to put the spoon back so his father wouldn't notice.

"I hope you aren't planning on putting that spoon back into our dinner Michelangelo." Splinter warned, his back still facing the turtle.

"No Daddy." He assured, hiding the spoon behind his back as Splinter turned around carrying five bowls.

"Good. Then can you please put that spoon in the sink, then get me a new spoon as well as Raphael's vitamins?"

"Hai Daddy" Mikey smiled before hopping off of the bench and putting the spoon into the sink. He then proceeded to walk back to the bench and climbed up onto the counter using the draw handles as steps to help himself up. He sat down on the bench and looked up at his father expectantly.

"When's din dins ready Daddy? I'm starving." He moaned.

"Dinner will be ready when you bring me a new spoon and your brother's Vitamins," Splinter explained patiently.

"Ooh, I'll get them for you," he volunteered, jumping down from the bench for a second time.

His son's forgetfulness and lack of attention was nothing new. He had always been a day dreamer but Splinter was starting to wonder whether there was not something else going on with him. He hoped not; he did not know how he would cope having two sick sons.

"Daddy?" Michelangelo's arms were wrapped around the vitamins and he had a spoon in one hand. Splinter reached down and lifted the turtle up onto the bench where Mikey deposited the goods.

Splinter looked at the spoon that his son had brought him.

"Michelangelo. This is the same spoon that you just put in the sink."

Mikey nodded.

"I asked you to bring me a clean spoon."

"It is clean. I licked it off."

"Do you remember what I told you about germs?"

"Uhh, yes." He answered uncertainly.

"Are you sure you remember?"

"I definitely do remember. But can you say it again just in case?"

"If you use a spoon or a plate it becomes dirty. I must then wash it with hot water and soap to get rid of the germs. If we do not wash our dishes before using them again the germs could spread and that's when people get sick."

"Hai Daddy. Is din dins ready now?"

Splinter sighed. As much as his youngest son liked helping out with the cooking, sometimes it was easier just to do things himself. He got a clean spoon from the drawer, gave the dinner one last stir before turning the stove off.

"Can I help scoop din dins?"

Splinter agreed, but after more food ended up on the bench and himself than in the actual bowls, he decided to dish out the algae himself and give his son the job of carrying the bowls to the table instead.

With four bowls already on the table, Splinter dished up the final one.

"Is that Waphie's din dins? Can I put in his med'cine?"

"No Michelangelo, I will do that. But if you would like to help; can you please get Leonardo and Donatello to come for dinner?"

"I'll get Waphie too."

"Wait Michelangelo. Remember…"

"I know Daddy. Be very quiet and check to see if he's sweeping. If he's asweep leave him alone. If he's awake, ask if he can come for din dins or if I should get you to help him."

"Very good Michelangelo. I can tell you pay very close attention when it comes to looking after your brother."

His son beamed up at him before racing out of the room. Splinter finished mixing the various powders into Raphael's food and set that bowl in its place at the table too. Alongside the bowls he set chopsticks for Leonardo, Donatello and himself and spoons for Michelangelo and Raphael, who had not yet mastered the skill of eating with chopsticks.

Moments later, Leonardo and Donatello were both in the kitchen and climbing onto their seats.

Michelangelo walked in soon after.

"Daddy. He says he doesn't want help but he isn't walking good."

"Alright I will see to him. When Raphael is here, then we will all eat. Not before. Do you understand Michelangelo? "

"Hai, Daddy." His son's face beamed with an angelic smile that wasn't fooling Splinter for a second.

The door to the boys' bedroom was slightly open. Splinter looked in before opening it up all the way. His son had gotten out of bed and was leaning against the mattress for support as he walked. Raphael saw his father standing in the door way but didn't asked for help. Instead, with determined resolve, he focused on putting one foot in front of the other until he got to the end of the bed and had nothing else to lean on.

"Raphael. Would you like help coming to dinner?"

"Don't need help," he replied shortly.

"You are right. I can see that you are doing a very good job yourself. I am very impressed with how strong you've grown and how good at walking you are now. Would you mind if we walked together?"

"You won't help me though?"He checked.

"Of course not."

"I guess that's okay then. Uhh Daddy?"

"Yes my son?"

"If we're walking together then you should prob'ly hold my hand."

Splinter smiled, stepping into the room holding his hand out to his son.

While leaning heavily against the end of his mattress for support Raphael reached one arm out to grab his father's hand. He let go of the bed and wobbled on his unsteady feet for a few steps but then began to stumble. He thought he was about to hit the ground until his descent was stopped by the grip his father had on his hand. Then he felt another hand carefully wrap around his waist to steady him.

"Are you alright my son?"

"Yeah, my legs are just tired," he explained. "Wake up legs," he shouted down at the appendages.

"I think perhaps they are tired from the playing you did this morning. Why don't we let them continue to rest, otherwise you may be too tired play with your brothers again tomorrow."

Raph thought on this for a while and the desire to be included in his brothers' games eventually won out over his pride. He nodded his consent and lifted his arms up so Splinter could pick him up and carry him to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Splinter noticed that nearly half of Michelangelo's food was already gone and his hands were covered in green algae. The other two brothers were waiting patiently before they started eating.

Everyone had their own place at the dinner table. Splinter had not designated these places but everyone just seemed to have claimed a spot that was their own. On one side of the table sat Leonardo, with Donatello next to him. Next to Donatello, sitting at the end of the table was Michelangelo. Their seats all had cushions on them to give the turtles the extra height they needed to be able to reach the table. Next to Michelangelo, Splinter sat Raphael in his high chair. Splinter was conscious of the fact that this made Raphael stand out from his brothers but he could not think of any other options. The boy was too small to sit in a kitchen chair even with cushions. He was also still very weak, which made sitting in a high chair where he was more secured, much safer. He just hoped it would not be necessary for long.

Splinter handed Raphael his spoon and once seated himself, they commenced eating.


	3. Chapter 3

A big thank you to every one who has read, favourited or followed my story. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.

Disclaimer- I don't own the TMNT. They are owned by Nickelodeon. I didn't create them. They were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. I also don't own Lego. It is owned by the Lego Group. I don't make any money from this fan fiction and I never will. This is for entertainment purposes only.

….…..

Raphael was still so fragile from his illness. He was recovering slower than Splinter had hoped. The vet had told splinter that any more illnesses, infections or injuries would set back Raphael's recovery by months, or more likely years, and that there was a chance that he may never reach full health again.

This made Splinter more cautious with Raphael than with his other sons. He knew that Raphael resented the coddling and felt like he didn't get as much freedom as his brothers did, but Splinter didn't have any other choice. Raphael might miss out on a few things now, but it would be better in the long run. If Splinter allowed Raphael to Spar with his brothers in the dojo, he could get injured. His body was so weak that it would take a long time, if ever, to repair itself. Then he would be left bed ridden for the rest of his life.

The sewers was not the most hygienic place for anyone to live, and it was worse for Raphael. Splinter knew how to keep their home clean, but the rest of the sewers were a breeding zone for germs, viruses and bacteria. A small cut could quickly get infected.

Raphael was also very susceptible to falling ill. But he was so run down already that his immune system would barely be able to fight off a cold. Luckily he had been able to avoid catching any dangerous viruses. It was the one scenario Splinter hated to think of, but it was a very real possibility. His son could die.

All of his sons knew that they needed to be careful around Raphael. They remember what he'd been like when he was ill and unable to get out of bed. None of them wanted to be responsible for putting him through that again. So for the most part they made sure not to hurt Raphael. But like all children, they seemed to forget that when they were in a bad mood or in need of some revenge. Unfortunately for Raph, Donnie had been both last night.

….…

Splinter walked into the kitchen, rubbing at his temples as he groaned. Splinter had never known his sons to behave so badly as they had the night before; especially Raphael and Donatello. He only hoped that they would be better behaved today. At least until his headache had settled down. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently it was.

Splinter sprinted into the boys' room upon hearing Raphael howling in pain. The turtle was curled up on his mattress, clutching his wrist to his plastron as the cuts on his palms, feet and legs soaked blood spots into the blanket.

"What happened my son?" Splinter worried as he rushed toward Raphael.

"Dad, look out!" Donnie squealed frantically. Splinter stopped just as he was about to step on the jagged edge of a piece of Lego. He looked around and noticed what looked like an entire box of Lego bricks scattered on the floor by Raphael's mattress.

Frowning at the obstacle course of deliberately placed bricks, Splinter tip toed around the pieces of pointed plastic. He sat down on the mattress where his wounded son crawled onto his lap and started whimpering as he buried his head into his father's robe.

"What happened my son?" Splinter asked again, while checking Raphael over. Although he already had his suspicions about what had happened.

Through sobs and tears, Raph tried to explain everything to his father.

"When I got up, I stood on something sharp and it made me fall over and I hurt my hand Daddy." He held his hand up to his father to show where it hurt. Splinter gently took a hold of Raphael's wrist only to have his son squeak in pain and withdraw his entire arm into his shell.

"I am sorry my son. I did not mean to hurt you."

"It's okay Daddy." Raphael brought his arm out again and let his father examine it. Thankfully Raphael did not look too badly injured.

"You are very brave Raphael."

"I am?" The little turtle looked up at his father with wide eyed amazement, quickly scrubbing the tears away from his cheeks.

"Yes, very much so. You have twisted your wrist, but do not worry, it is not serious. And the rest are minor cuts and bruises." Splinter consoled Raphael as he stroked his carapace to soothe him.

"Leonardo would you please go fetch me an ice pack and wrap it in a towel?"

Leonardo hurried out of the room to do as he was told and returned less than a minute later.

"Do not come near the bricks Leonardo, I do not want you to hurt yourself as well." Splinter ordered as he took a few steps through the Lego maze. Taking the ice pack from Leonardo, Splinter made sure to thank him before gently placing the ice onto Raphael's wrist.

Now that Raphael was calm and not in danger; Splinter had other matters that required his attention. Such as. Why was Raphael's mattress surrounded by sharp toys?

"Boys, would anyone like to tell me how these toys ended up on the floor by Raphael's bed?" Splinter looked over each of his sons. Leonardo looked only concerned for his younger brother. There was not a hint of guilt on his face. Leonardo was always the one to look out for Raphael. He had made it his personal mission to keep his brother safe. It couldn't have been him.

Michelangelo was curiously looking from Leo to Don, trying to see if he could figure out who it was. Had Mikey been the one to do it he would have been crying already at the thought of being punished; so it clearly wasn't him.

It was obvious that the perpetrator was the turtle whose face bore a look of guilt but also the proud, smugness of a young turtle whose genius plan for revenge had just succeeded.

"Donatello. Do you have something you want to tell me?"

"That I want to tell you? No." Donnie replied back. He thought he was being clever but Splinter was not impressed at all. Donatello had injured Raphael. Donatello knew better than all of his sons how fragile Raphael was. He should've known better. But all Donatello did was smile to himself over what he thought was a clever way to avoid confessing. This made Splinter more than mad; it made his blood boil.

"That's it!" Splinter yelled as he marched out of the room. Their father rarely yelled like that but when he did, it meant bad news for one of them. Splinter returned moments later carrying the rubbish bin from the kitchen. He plonked it down in front of Donatello, who looked up at him with eyes wide with horror. He knew what his father was going to make him do.

"You are to pick up every piece of Lego from the floor and put it in the bin," Splinter demanded.

"But Daddy!" Donnie protested with tears running down his face in streams. His Lego was his favourite of all his toys. He played with it for hours every day. Always making new imaginary inventions, or replicas of the things that humans had topside that he could only dream of owning. He built friends he could play with and talk to; who agreed with everything he said, didn't find his facts boring and didn't bully him. He couldn't throw away his Legos. He needed them.

"No buts Donatello." Splinter growled as he picked up Donatello's box of Lego bricks and dumped them in the bin. There was a gasp of shock from all of the little turtles.

Donatello couldn't contain the sobs that wracked his body as he grabbed a fistful of Lego with each hand, turning away as he dropped them into the bin.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered repeatedly as he took another fistful and then another, until the floor was clear of Lego.

Donnie was sure he was going to be sick and his head was pounding like there was a drum inside of it. He felt alone. He didn't think his life could ever get any worse. He gasped in shock when he realised that his father wasn't finished yet.

"No Daddy, no wait." He bawled, desperately tugging on his fathers robe as he saw him march over to the shelf holding Donnie's most treasured Lego figures.

Splinter wasn't paying attention to anything that was going on around him. At that moment he was so furious with the vile plastic weapons that had hurt his son, but he was more furious with himself. He'd known those toys were sharp and pointy, yet he still brought them back to the lair and gave them to Donatello. He had reasoned that of all his sons, Donatello would be the most careful to not accidentally leave them out where someone could hurt themselves. Of all his sons Donatello was the last that he would've expected to do something like this. Especially on purpose. But if he had never brought them into their home, then there would have been no chance that Raphael would've been hurt. The Lego had to go.

Brushing Donatello away, he swept all of the Lego figures off of his display shelf, ignoring the cries of protest and then the wail of despair when a little boy's plastic creations broke to pieces as they hit the bottom of the bin.

Seeming to snap back to reality, Splinter looked around the room feeling a bit dazed. Had he really just done that? He had let his anger control him. What he did was wrong he knew that, but he'd never gone back on a punishment before. He knew he was being prideful. But how could he admit that he was wrong? Especially after the display he had just made in front of all of his sons.

Muffled howling could be heard from Donatello, who'd thrown himself onto the floor, tucking his limbs into his shell to hide from the others' sight while morning the loss of his best friends.

….…

Splinter looked back on the events of the morning as he stood in front of the stove and prepared himself a cup of tea. He looked down at the bottle of pain killers in his hand. They had so few medical supplies. He did not like to take any unless it was absolutely necessary. Today he felt that it definitely was. After taking two tablets with a sip of his tea he noticed a warning on the back of the bottle.

 _Keep away from children,_ it read _._

"That does seem like good advice right now," he sighed.

Stepping out of the kitchen into the common area, Splinter's sons were going about their own activities quietly. Michelangelo was sitting on the couch drawing. On the ground in front of him, Leonardo and Raphael were getting along nicely while playing with their cars and Donatello was sitting beside Raphael reading a book.

Splinter would usually welcome the moment of peace. But this was not a comfortable silence. There was fear and tension in the air. None of his son's spoke, and they seemed to purposely avoid making eye contact with him as he entered the room; as if they were being cautious. They were all sticking close together. Especially Donatello and Raphael. Although they had been angry at each other the night before. Right now they seemed to be drawing comfort from the close proximity of each other.

Splinter headed into the dojo and as he shut the paper screen door behind him, he could have sworn that he heard a collective exhale of relief from his sons outside. Splinter crossed the dojo and into his room. He needed to think. After much honest self examination Splinter knew what he needed to do.

Back in the common area his four sons had fallen asleep in a pile on the couch, under the light of their basking lamp. Donatello had his arms wrapped around Raphael who was sandwiched on the other side by Leonardo. Lying spread across them all was Michelangelo, who was leaving a trail of saliva on Leonardo's shell as he drooled in his sleep. It had been an emotionally exhausting day for them all. Splinter decided he would let them rest until it was time for lunch. He would make sure to speak to them all and apologise when they woke up. But right now he had something he needed to do.

Sitting on the floor of the boys' bedroom with the bin in front of him. Splinter got to work salvaging the hundreds of Lego bricks and putting them back into their containers. Sorting them into size and color order, just how Donatello had them stored.

….…

Thank you for reading my latest chapter. I would appreciate it if someone could put a review for this chapter please . Let me know what you think of the story so far. What you like and don't like. Constructive criticism would be great.

Thanks : )


	4. Chapter 4

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone that has reviewed my story so far.

Thanks so much Hobbit fan 01 for being the first person to review my story. I was so excited to see your review. For you to say that you loved my chapter means the world to me.

Thank you Christina for your enthusiasm about my story. Due to work, study, family, etc. I cannot update as often as I would sometimes like to. But I will make sure that I update whenever possible so that you can find out what happens next

A big, massive thank you to Aurora Naranjo-Riviera. I was so hoping for a review like yours. I do put a lot of effort into proof reading and editing my chapters. I'm glad that I've been able to find and fix most of my errors. Please do point them out if you find them. You are right about Master Splinter. I have been having trouble writing him and I will try to focus more attention on his personality. Please let me know if it improves or gets worse.

And thank you to everyone else that has read my story. I hope you've enjoyed it so far.

Disclaimer- I don't own the TMNT. They are owned by Nickelodeon. I didn't create them. They were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. I don't make any money from this fan fiction and I never will. This is for entertainment purposes only.

….…...

Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo had gone out to there favourite place in the sewers; the drainage grate. They felt like they were going on an adventure when they left the lair and explored the tunnels. In reality though, they were not far from home. Thanks to his rat like hearing, Splinter could still hear their distant voices talking to each other as he moved about the lair.

Raphael, his second oldest but smallest child hadn't gone with them. Although recovering well, he was not yet strong enough to explore the sewer tunnels with his brothers. At the rate he was recovering though, it would not be long before he would be able to do all the things that his brothers did.

Splinter twitched his sensitive ears; ensuring his sons were still within ear shot before checking on Raphael. He could hear him in the kitchen. It sounded like he was taking things out of the cupboards. Splinter huffed in irritation. They all knew that they were not allowed to mess around in the kitchen. He was going to make sure that his son put everything back where it came from.

The rat stepped into the kitchen soundlessly, as only a ninja could. Instead of jumping to conclusions; Splinter thought that he should watch his son for a while, to see what he was doing and why.

Raphael was sitting on the floor in front of the cupboard where the pots and pans were stored. Except now the pots were spread out over the floor and the cupboard was empty. The young turtle was sitting cross legged, looking into the empty space in the shelves. He was talking to… Something. Splinter moved closer, trying to get a better look at who his son was talking to, but he couldn't see anything. There was no one there. It was just an empty cupboard.

"No, we have lots of time. I don't think they'll be back for a long time. They always go out and play for ages," Raph added with a note of resentment. He sat silently for a moment with his head cocked as if listening for a response.

"No I don't wanna go with them. They just do boring things. We have heaps more fun than them," Raph let out a short laugh, but it didn't sound convincing even to him.

"So what if they get to leave home and explore the sewer? There's alligators, and humans and giant bugs bigger than us out there. Or a giant sewer snake might gobble them up and then they have to live in a snakes tummy. That would be gross. So its heaps better that we have to stay here." He sighed and there was another pause as he focused intently on the empty space in the cupboard.

"I know you don't like the cupboard. But like your mum said, you're too little to leave just yet. One day when your bigger, she'll see that you can do everything that your brother can do and you'll be allowed out of the cupboard too."

Raphael's conversation continued as Splinter watched on, completely unnoticed by his son. He knew that it was not easy for Raphael to stay at home while his brothers left him to go play in the sewers. But he had not expected his son to create an imaginary friend to talk to. He probably shouldn't be surprised. Playing with make believe friends was normal for children. Even Saki and himself used to make up imaginary friends that they would play with when they were about Raphael's age.

Were Raphael a human, Splinter probably wouldn't have batted an eyelid at the idea of him having an imaginary friend in the kitchen cupboard. But it still surprised him just how human his sons were. When he had first found them directly after their mutation, he had assumed that they were just smart animals. But after years of caring for them, teaching them and loving them; he had discovered that they were not animals that acted like humans, but human children with animal appearances. He was doing exactly the same thing to them that humans would. Judging them by their appearances.

Splinter cleared his throat to get his sons attention. Raph spun around and stood up at the sound.

"Hi Dad. "

"Hello my son."

Raphael looked down at the kitchen floor littered with saucepans. His dad had told them all that they were not supposed to play in the kitchen, and he was worried that he'd get in trouble. Even though he wasn't actually playing, he was just talking to his friend.

"I'll put the pots back in the cupboard exactly like they were, I promise. I always do. Not that I've ever taken them out before." He was getting more anxious and worked up by the second. His eyes were going watery and his mouth wobbled as he tried not to cry.

Raphael was probably the most emotional of all of Splinter's sons, even more so than Michelangelo. He had never been able to cope with stress well. On top of that, it was getting late and Raphael was probably over tired too.

"Please try to relax Raphael," Splinter soothed as he knelt down in front of the teary eyed turtle. "Getting worried will not help the situation. Try to take calming breaths like I taught you. It will help you to feel better."

Raphael closed his eyes and took five slow, deep breaths; relaxing each part of his body as he went. When he opened his eyes again, he was still worried about being in trouble but he didn't feel like he was all wound up.

"Are you feeling better?" Splinter asked his son.

Raphael wiped a single tear from his cheek and nodded up at his father, indicating that he was calmer now.

"When you are finished with the saucepans, you can put them back into the cupboard neatly."

"I'm finished. I'll put them away now," Raphael informed, already picking up a nearby saucepan.

"If you need any assistance, I can help you," Splinter offered.

"I can do it on my own," Raph assured his father.

"Alright I will leave you to it."

Splinter left the room. It was 3:30pm according to the clock hanging in the common area. He would have to go fetch his other sons soon. He picked up some toys while trying to think of what he should do about Raphael. Should he do anything at all even? Splinter did not have a problem with the imaginary friend. It was what Raphael spoke to his friend about that concerned him. Raphael was feeling lonely and not included by his brothers. What could he do about that though? Splinter could not let Raphael play in the sewers with the others. He was still too weak. He also couldn't force his other sons to stay at home. Not only would it be unfair for them but for Splinter as well. The only time that Splinter could catch up on his house work, or even get a moment of peace, was when his sons were either out playing or asleep.

Raphael walked out of the kitchen and stood in front of his father.

"I finished," he announced. His fingers were interlocked in front of his plastron in a nervous gesture.

"Very good Raphael. Now it is time for me to go get your brothers. Would you care to join me?"

"Out in the sewers?" Raphael's eyes light up at the possibility. But then a worried and thoughtful look crossed his features. He did want to go out into the sewers with his dad and brothers, but he was also feeling really tired out. He had been struggling to finish packing away his mess in the kitchen. He probably should just stay at home. If he admitted he was tired though, his dad may start worrying about him or think he was getting sick again. What could he say to his father?

"I dunno. I don't think the sewer is very interesting. Its funner to play with the others at home." Raph hoped his father would believe the lie.

The fatigue was obvious in Raphael's unfocused eyes and drooping posture. Sensing the reason for his sons hesitance to tell the truth, Splinter had an idea.

"You could sit on my shoulders if you like. Would that be more fun?"

"Yeah, I like shoulder rides. That's heaps more fun than walking." Raph was relieved that his father had believed his story and hadn't noticed how tired he really was. And this way, he still got to go into the sewers with his brothers.

Seated on his fathers shoulders; Raphael headed off to explore the sewer tunnels for the first time.

….…...

Thank you for reading my latest chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- I don't own the TMNT. They are owned by Nickelodeon. I didn't create them. They were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. I don't make any money from this fan fiction and I never will. This is for entertainment purposes only.

...

Only a few minutes later, Raph could hear the sound of shouts and laughter. Perched atop his father's shoulders, he was almost eye level with his brothers as they chased each other, swinging from the pipes on the ceiling. Travelling hand over hand along the pipes, Michelangelo was trying to catch Leonardo and Donatello.

"Wow, that's so cool." Playing tag on the ceiling. Raph had never seen anything so exciting.

"Hey Waphie's here!" Michelangelo cheered, spotting his brother and father.

"What are you doing?" Raph asked, staring up at them in amazement.

"We're playing monkey tag. Mikey called it that," Donnie informed, checking over his shoulder to ensure the youngest turtle wasn't going to tag him while he was speaking to Raphael.

"That's turtley awesome."

"Wanna play too Raph?" Leo asked hopefully.

"Oh nah. Its okay, I don't wanna play." Raph looked away, his previous enthusiasm completely gone.

"Oh, okay then." Leo looked a bit dejected, until his face light up with an idea. He dropped from the pipes and landed in a puddle on the floor.

"No fair Leo. You can't walk, that's cheating. You havta swing like a monkey." Mikey protested loudly.

"I'll be the tagger next time to make up for it. I just don't feel like playing right now," Leo called over his shoulder as he walked up to his father and brother.

"Come on Raphie. I wanna show you something." Leo excitedly gestured for his younger brother to follow him.

"Is it far?" Raph questioned. He didn't feel like he had the energy to walk at the moment.

"No, not far. It's just 'round this corner," Leo reassured.

Raph looked at his father, who nodded and placed him on the ground, encouraging him to go with his brother. Leonardo took his younger brother's hand as they headed off on their own down the tunnel.

"There's not any sewer snakes out here is there?" Raph questioned, shuffling closer to Leo's side as he scanned the area for any danger.

"There aren't any sewer snakes Raphie," Leo comforted. "That's just a scary story that Mikey likes to tell. Don't believe everything he says."

"Yeah. I knew that," Raph quietly sighed in relief but couldn't help but tighten his grip on his brothers arm as he was lead further away from home and his father.

"This is your first time exploring the sewers so I wanted to take you somewhere special. My favourite place I've always wanted to show you. Ta da!" Leo spread his hands out in front of him with a flourish as they turned the corner. He watched his brother's reaction closely, hoping that he would find this place as amazing as he did.

The area was simply a dead end with a drainage grate clogged with muddy leaves from the surface, dripping water down into the sewer. The minimal light that it let in only highlighted the amount of grime that clung to the underground tunnels. Through the gaps in the grate, Raph got a small glimpse of life up on the surface. shoes crunched over rubbish and rotting leaves as humans walked right passed the two turtles, completely oblivious to them and their family's existence. His vision was distorted as a cloud of exhaust fumes from a truck, hung around in the air, making him cough before it eventually dissipated. Raph honestly couldn't see why Leo liked this place so much. When he'd described it to him before, he'd made it sound like a magical place where new things were discovered and treasures were found. Maybe he just wasn't looking at it the right way?

Leo cleared away a patch of wet leaves and rubbish and sat down, patting the patch of concrete next to him.

"So, what do you think?" He asked hopefully.

Raph took a seat next to his brother. As the warmth from the last of the afternoon sun filtering in through the grate soaked into his skin, he paused a moment before answering. Still looking up at the scene above him, Raphael tried to look past the smog and rubbish and instead tried to focus on what Leo might be looking at.

Across the path, behind a large shop window, was a bunch of different sized screens. They were like the television that Donnie had built, except these ones were much thinner, and the picture wasn't fuzzy like theirs back home. On one of the television screens, a group of people were dancing to a song that Raph had never heard before. Before long, he was nodding his head and tapping his foot along with the beat of the music. The colours shining from the screens, shone down onto pieces of shattered glass covering the foot path. The glass then reflected streams of colour down into the sewer, dancing around the two boys like their own disco ball..

This was Raphael's first glimpse of the world topside. The world inhabited by humans. The mysterious, wondrous and dangerous creatures that he had spent his whole life learning about but had never actually seen, until now.

"It's beautiful Leo. Thank you for showing it to me"

….…...

Thanks for reading. If you haven't reviewed yet, please let me know what you think so far. Constructive criticism always welcome.

Thanks to Christina for such nice reviews . I'm glad you're enjoying my story.

And Thanks Lulay for reviewing my last chapter. Thank you for the feedback on the characters' personalities. I am planning on having more Leo soon.

And thanks to everyone who's favd or followed my story so far.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer- I don't own the TMNT. They are owned by Nickelodeon. I didn't create them. They were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. I don't make any money from this fan fiction and I never will. This is for entertainment purposes only.

….….

Master Splinter was out scavenging in the tunnels, so Leonardo was left in charge until he got back. A part of being in charge was cooking dinner for his brothers; a task that none of them had ever been entrusted with before. They'd all helped Sensei cook before but never had one of them used the stove unsupervised. Previously when they were left alone, they'd had to eat their worms and algae raw. Cooking and a bit of seasoning, vastly improved the taste of the green mixture that they ate on a daily basis.

This privilege and responsibility was not something that Leo took lightly. Taking care of his family was the most important thing for Leonardo and he felt a sense of pride when he was entrusted with responsibilities, knowing that his sensei believed in him.

Leonardo had been diligently watching over dinner on the stove but now he was busting to go to the toilet. He hopped from one foot to the other, squirming uncomfortably as he turned down the burner under the pot of worms and algae so that they were simmering gently. At that heat it would be a while before dinner was ready. Deciding that it would be safe to leave the stove for a minute, he hurried to the bathroom.

Mikey wandered into the kitchen, intending to ask Leo when dinner would be ready. But when he saw that the kitchen was devoid of older brothers and the stove had been left unguarded; the opportunity was just too good for a mischievous little turtle to pass up. He'd never been allowed to operate the stove before but he'd watched Master Splinter use it to make dinner hundreds of times. How hard could it be? Besides it looked like fun.

By tuning the first nob, the flame under the pot turned from orange to blue and grew bigger. He turned the flame up and down, up and down, mesmerised by the fire until suddenly, the flame went out. When turning the nob didn't seem to help any more, he started turning all the others to try to find a way to bring the fire back. Noticing a button on the stove, he decided to push that.

It clicked a few times, creating a spark before all of the burners and the gas in the air ignited at once. A fire ball seemed to explode in front of his eyes. diving for safety, he waited before cautiously peeking over the top of the bench to asses the damage, but very little seemed to have been done. As quickly as it had appeared, the fire settled down so that all that was left burning was the five burners on the stove top. He quickly turned off all but the flame underneath the dinner and hurried out of the room before getting caught.

Raphael woke to find that he'd fallen asleep on the couch while watching TV. Mikey had been watching cartoons with him but wasn't in the room any more. Mikey got bored easily so it wasn't unusual for him to wander off during the middle of a show. But seeing Mikey making a hasty retreat from the kitchen did count as suspicious. He didn't want to get up from the couch but Raph knew that he would have to. Switching off the lamp above him, Raph groaned, already missing its warmth. He got to his feet, wincing at the cool dampness of the concrete floor and the chill in the air that made his joints hurt.

'M _aybe Mikey didn't do anything wrong. Maybe I can just go back to sleep?'_ Raph hoped to himself. The burning smell and slight whiff of gas coming from the kitchen told him that he was in no such luck. Wrapped up in a blanket, Raph pushed himself to go investigate. He could hear dinner was bubbling away ferociously, aided on by the burner underneath it turned up way too high. He grabbed a spoon to stir the dinner with but when he took the lid off of the pot, he was attacked by a cloud of black smoke pouring out from under the lid. He coughed, waving the smoke away from him as he turned the fan in the range hood up higher.

After he'd chucked out the chard remains of Leo's dinner, Raph got started on making a new batch of algae and worms. Adding in their various supplements and seasoning it with salt and pepper, Raph left dinner simmering on a low heat and headed back to the couch to sleep until dinner was ready.

On his way back from the bathroom, Leo spotted Raph still asleep under his basking lamp, exactly where he'd been the last time he'd seen him. The only difference was that Mikey wasn't with him any more. He hurried to the kitchen, worried that Mikey might be messing around in there. To his relief there was no little freckled turtle in sight and dinner seemed to be coming along nicely. He paused while chewing thoughtfully on a mouthful of algae. In fact, it tasted even better than it had when he'd last tested it.

….…..

Everyone commented on how dinner that night was one of the best meals they had ever had. Raphael smiled triumphantly as he managed to trap a worm with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth.

"Looks like you've really got the knack for this cooking thing Leo," Raph complimented his brother with a genuine smile before concentrating again on using his chopsticks to pick up a lump of the green goop in his bowl.

….….….….

Thank you for reading my latest chapter. Please let me know what you think. Constructive criticism always welcome and appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for the reviews guys. I appreciate it.

Disclaimer- I don't own the TMNT. They are owned by Nickelodeon. I didn't create them. They were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. I don't make any money from this fan fiction and I never will. This is for entertainment purposes only.

….….

Raphael faced off against his opponent. The adversary opposite him was bigger, smarter, faster and better trained than he was. he needed to look up to meet the larger creature's steely eyed gaze. If Raphael was intimidated, he didn't show it. Instead, he stared back; daring his opponent to make the first move.

They started circling slowly, but after a while it became apparent that his combatant was not going to be the one to strike first. Mustering up his courage and relying on all of his training and instincts to guide him, Raphael attacked. His quick succession of jabs and kicks were easily blocked by his opponent, who countered with his own calculated sequence of attacks. Raphael's adversary had longer arms and a further reach than he did. He was using this to his advantage. Keeping Raphael at a distance and tiring him out so that the red masked turtle couldn't use the one advantage that he did have in this fight.

Raphael was using a lot of energy dodging blows and trying to land some of his own, with little success. Raph knew what his opponent was doing and that he would have to find a way to get closer if he was to have any chance of winning this fight.

Raphael was tiring fast. Where as the other fighter looked like he was just getting started. He spun 'round and kicked at Raphael. In his excitement and haste to finish the fight, the more experienced fighter accidentally kicked his leg just a little too high. It was a small mistake but a detrimental one in a fight. Ducking under the leg, Raphael used the fact that his opponent was now off balance to grab his arm and topple him the rest of the way using his one advantage; his strength.

Everything appeared to move in slow motion. His opponent was thrown to the ground. Raph stared in wonderment, in too much shock to do anything else. He couldn't believe he'd done it. For the first time ever, he'd successfully thrown his brother to the mat during training. His joy was short lived though, when said brother quickly bounced back to his feet and knocked Raph flat on his shell.

"Yame." Splinter stopped the fight.

"Are you all right Raph?" Donnie knelt down next to the brother he'd just sent sprawling across the floor. "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry, I didn't think you would go down that easily. Not that it was easy. " he corrected himself, not wanting to make his brother feel any worse.

"I'm fine," Raph murmured, slapping Donnie's hand away when he tried to help him stand up. Getting to his feet and brushing himself off, there was a fire in Raph's eyes as he marched over to his father.

"Why'd you stop the fight Dad? I mean Sensei," he corrected himself. "I could've beaten Donnie but you stopped me before I had the chance."

"This is not about winning or losing Raphael. We train to better our skills."

"But I could've beaten him. I know I could've."

"Your skills have improved greatly since you started training in the dojo but I would not want you to hurt yourself by doing too much too soon. You cannot afford to injure yourself. Please be patient Raphael."

"I'm not a little kid any more. When will you stop treating me like one?" Raph screamed in frustration as he turned away from his family and towards the door.

During the sparing match, one of the rugs covering the dojo floor had been shifted. This created a dangerous tripping hazard for anyone not paying attention.

Storming out of the dojo, Raphael failed to see that the corner of the rug had lifted up and consequently, he ended up crashing to the ground.

….…...

I'm not a ninja, so I doubt this fighting scene would have actually worked in real life. Don't try this at home kids. Unless you're a ninja turtle. Which you're not.

Thank you for reading. Please leave a review.


	8. Chapter 8

Two chapters uploaded in one day. Make sure you have read chapter 7 before you read this one.

Disclaimer- I don't own the TMNT. They are owned by Nickelodeon. I didn't create them. They were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. I don't make any money from this fan fiction and I never will. This is for entertainment purposes only.

….…...

Raphael was trudging down one of the sewer tunnels, kicking at the rubbish as it floated passed his feet. It was dark so he couldn't see exactly what was in the water, not that he was paying attention to that any way. He'd just had another argument with Donnie after the events of that morning.

His younger brother was always sticking his nose in to Raph's business and constantly telling him not to do things. It'd been over three years since he'd been sick, nearly four actually. He wasn't a weak little baby any more. He was stronger than Leo, bigger than Mikey and he was sure that he was a better ninja than Don. Sure he tired out quicker than the others, but he wasn't weak. Donnie didn't know what he was talking about. Ever since he'd gotten sick, Donnie had been bossing him around like he was the big brother instead of Raph. Don wasn't a doctor. Who was he to decide what Raph could and couldn't do? The only thing wrong with Raph was that he was sick of being treated like a weakling.

If any of the others had fallen over and skinned their knee, Master Splinter would have just cleaned the cut and put a band-aid on it. No one would've made any fuss. But when Raph hurts himself, everyone has to gather around. He has to be carried to bed like a weak baby and everyone watches as Donnie and Dad examine him to make sure that he's okay. And of course Leo had to give his own input even though he has no idea what his talking about. And Mikey just cried the whole time begging Raph not to die.

The way they treated him like a weakling still, made Raph so angry sometimes. He felt he had to always be on the lookout and be extra careful whenever the others were around so that he didn't accidentally hurt himself and have to deal with them fussing over him again.

Raph had stopped telling his father if something was wrong months ago; even if he was hurt, tired or sad. He couldn't let anyone see him being weak. If could show everyone how tough he was, then they would stop treating him like a baby and start treating him the same as they did each other.

His plan seemed to be working for the most part. But there were always days like today when he would hurt himself right in front of the others and they would fuss over him. As if it wasn't embarrassing enough that he'd tripped over in front of them and skinned his knee, but he'd cried too. They didn't believe him when he told them that he was fine. Punching Mikey in the nose had gotten them to back off though. That is until Master Splinter scooped Raphael up in his arms and started worrying over him. What could he do? He couldn't very well hit Master Splinter. He was crying tears of frustration as they all gathered 'round staring at him like a side show attraction. And afterwards, he got in trouble for hitting Mikey. It wasn't fair, they should've just left him alone.

As annoying as that morning had been. Usually he could hide his weaknesses from his family. A downside to that was he was starting to feel very lonely. He wished he could have someone to tell his problems to. Someone that would understand him and not over react.

Raph's thought was interrupted when he saw a glint of something metal in the shallow running water. A beer can, he assumed by the shape. Cans were great to kick. They bounced off the walls and pipes, clanging as they went. Raph was all set to give this can a boot across the sewer tunnel, envisioning Donnie's face on the can, when he stopped for some reason and hesitated. He didn't know why, he couldn't see anything there but something told him to take a closer look. He knelt down, picked up the discarded can and lifted it close to his face so that he could get a closer look in the poorly light tunnel. As he did, he saw something drop from the can. With ninja reflexes, he quickly snapped his hand out and enclosed his fingers around the falling object before it could hit the water. He moved into the light that a nearby drainage grate offered and opened his hand to see what he had found.

It was a turtle. A tiny baby turtle hiding in its shell. It was less than five centimetres long and clearly wasn't strong enough to swim. It was lucky to have found something to climb on to, otherwise it would have drowned long before he'd come along. Raph couldn't help the smile that pulled on his lips as the tiny turtle, sensing it was no longer in danger, poked its head out of its shell and looked up at its rescuer with curious eyes. It obviously didn't belong in the sewers, so that meant that some human had dumped it down here because they couldn't be bothered looking after it. Out of sight, out of mind. Not bothering to think about the fact that they were sending their unwanted pet to a horrible death.

Raph growled in anger and disgust. Humans were the most heartless animals on the planet. And they called him a monster.

"Come on lil fella. Let's get you home where it's safe."

….….

"Don! Don! Mikey where's Don?" Raph asked the turtle who was lying on the couch, watching cartoons with the volume turned right up.

"In his lab. Where else would he be?" Mikey answered, barely taking his eyes off the screen. That is, until something peeked his curiosity.

"Hey, whatcha holding?" Mikey jumped over the back of the couch and followed after Raph as he barged into Donnie's lab.

The purple masked turtle was hunched over his desk, earmuffs on his head to block out the sound of the television while he concentrated on his work. Donnie spun around in shock and annoyance when Raph ripped the earmuffs off, jerking his head back in the process.

"Seriously Raph. Was that really necessary?" Donnie glared as he rubbed at his sore neck.

"You're fine Donnie. I need ya to take a look at something."

Although still annoyed, the way that Raph carefully placed whatever he was holding down onto the desk intrigued Donatello. Raph never did anything carefully. Whatever he was holding had to be important. Mikey watched curiously over Donnie's shoulder as Raphael moved his hand back to reveal a baby turtle hiding in its shell.

"Aww, look how small it is. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen," Mikey cooed, reaching a hand out to touch the small reptile. Raph slapped his hand away, ignoring the kicked puppy look Mikey was giving him while he turned to Donnie to see what he would do.

"I think it's a box turtle," Don picked the hiding turtle up and checked it over.

"The shell isn't damaged which is good. It's probably exhausted though. It'll need a shallow dish of water. See what fruit and vegetables we have in the kitchen that it can eat while I get to work fixing up our old basking lamp." Donnie started searching through one of his cupboards for the old lamp they'd used when they were younger.

Raph cradled the baby turtle in his palm as he and Mikey headed towards the kitchen, switching off the TV on his way. Feeling safe back in Raph's hands, the turtle poked its head and legs out of its shell again, looking out at its new surroundings.

"Can I hold it?" Mikey asked, standing up on a stool at the island bench, his face mere centimetres away from the tiny turtle that Raphael had put down while he rummaged for a suitable drinking container.

"Don't touch him Mikey," Raph warned his younger brother, shoving him out of the way with his shoulder.

"What makes you so sure it's a he?" Mikey questioned, watching the baby turtle crawl towards Raph's hand that was resting on the bench.

"Shut up Mikey. Just find him something to eat," Raph ordered, as he placed a container filled part way up with water in front of the baby turtle.

Mikey did as he was told, grabbing different types of fruit and vegetables from the fridge and placing them on the counter. "So how do we tell if it's a boy or a girl?" Mikey asked, slamming the fridge door closed. "We need to know if we're gonna give it a name."

"I dunno. Ask Donnie," Raph suggested, holding a strawberry out for the small turtle to eat.

From his room Master Splinter could hear both Raphael and Michelangelo in the kitchen. He got up to find out what they were doing. The boys knew they were not allowed to use the stove without his supervision and even though he had been quite fortunate on his scavenging trips lately, he did not want them raiding the few supplies they did have. If they were hungry, they were supposed to tell him and he would fix them something to eat.

He had made these rules clear to all of his sons. So what were they doing in the kitchen? They did not sound like they were arguing or fighting. This should have made Splinter glad, but instead it made him nervous. The only time those two worked together was when they were up to mischief.

Pushing back the curtain covering the kitchen entryway, Splinter didn't have a clue what he would find. Knowing these particular sons, he was expecting any number of things, but the two of them standing quietly at the bench, sharing a stool and taking turns feeding a baby turtle was not one of them. It was tiny, and looked absolutely adorable sitting in a shallow pool of water. Its face was entirely pink from the strawberry it was munching away at ravenously. It took his breath away just how much it resembled his sons when they were ordinary turtles living in a glass bowl. Strawberries had always been one of their favourite foods too. They were a rare delicacy that he was always on the lookout for on his scavenging trips.

Michelangelo noticed their father watching them first and his face broke into a huge, toothy grin. Excitement was radiating off of him. Both young turtles jumped off of the stool and ran to their father, pulling on his robe to get him to see their new pet.

"Daddy... uh, I mean Sensei," Mikey corrected himself quickly. "Look what Raph found."

Mikey reached his hand out to the turtle, wanting nothing more than to pat its little head. Splinter's own hand shot out and grabbed Mikey's wrist, pulling his hand away. This caused Michelangelo to look up at his father in shock.

"Careful my son. They bite," Splinter warned as he withdrew his hand from Michelangelo's.

"Wait. Turtles bite?" Mikey asked like he didn't quite believe it.

"Yes. All four of you tried nipping at my fingers at some point or other when you were ordinary turtles. Leonardo was the worst though. See these scars on my fingers?" He raised his right hand up so that Mikey could see it.

"Leo did that?" Mikey asked astonished; eyes wide with shock at the small scars on his master's fingers where the fur hadn't been able to fully grow. His shocked expression soon turned into a wide smile and he couldn't help but giggle at the thought.

"Yes he was quite a handful."

Master Splinter's ears twitched in surprise when Michelangelo's barely suppressed chuckles were interrupted by a snort and Raphael's hooting laughter. It had been a long time since he had heard Raphael truly laugh. Recently, the closest he got was a sarcastic snort or chuckle when Mikey hurt himself while trying to annoy him.

"I can't believe it. Splinter Junior bit you." By this point, he was doubled over, hands on his knees as he tried to support his frame that was shaking with laughter. "That's hilarious. I can't wait to tell 'im. Hey Mikey, can you imagine the look on his face?" Raph inhaled deeply, trying to compose himself, but as soon as he would calm down Mikey would snicker and set him off again.

As much as he enjoyed seeing Michelangelo and Raphael getting along, Splinter knew he would have to do some parenting here.

"My sons, it is nice to see you both getting along but it is not nice to laugh at your brother. How about instead of making fun of Leonardo. Why don't the two of you get your turtle another strawberry? He seems to enjoy them."

"Hai Sensei," they chorused in unison before running back to the bench and climbing up onto the stool, both offering a strawberry to the little turtle.

"So," Raphael looked up at his father uncertainly, "does that mean I can keep him?"

Splinter looked back and forth at the round, puppy dog eyes his sons were giving him. He'd already made his mind up almost instantly, but he needed to make it at least look like he was giving it careful consideration.

"Any pet is a lot of work. And this little turtle will need much care to bring him back to full health. Are you sure you are mature enough to take care of him?"

"Yep," Mikey beamed up at his Dad enthusiastically.

"I was talking to Raphael." Splinter kept his face straight but was laughing on the inside. He was certain that his youngest son was not responsible enough for a pet. But Raphael was a different story. He was a sensitive child, who worked hard at everything he did and he desperately wanted to feel needed. Raphael was the sort of owner every pet needed and Raphael also needed a pet; someone who he could look after, take responsibility for and it would be a way to show his maturity. It was already obvious that the two turtles shared a special bond. A pet is a faithful companion. Something that his son especially needed during difficult times.

Splinter looked directly at his son. "So Raphael, do you feel you are mature enough to take on this responsibility?"

"Yes Master Splinter," he nodded determinedly, trying to convey to his father just how ready he was. He wasn't a baby that needed to be looked after. He was a big boy who could look after somebody else.

"I believe so too. You may keep him."

Raph and Mikey's celebrating was interrupted when Donnie walked into the kitchen carrying the basking lamp that Splinter had brought home years ago when Raphael was sick.

"Okay Raph, I got the old lamp working again."

Donnie grunted as he heaved the heavy lamp up onto the kitchen bench. He then brought a chair over from the dining table and stood on it so that he could reach the power outlet to plug the lamp in and switch it on. The lamp flickered for a moment but was soon steadily emitting a familiar light and warmth onto the bench.

Raph placed the turtle under the lamp and watched as it fell asleep contentedly.

….….

That night, after a bed time story, Splinter tucked his four sons into bed and kissed them goodnight just like he did every evening. Raphael gave his own baby turtle a kiss and pat on the head before tucking him in next to him for the night.

….….

Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think. Compliments and or criticism are very much appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

**A big thank you to every one who has read, reviewed, faved or followed my story. You guys are the best.**

Disclaimer- I don't own the TMNT. They are owned by Nickelodeon. I didn't create them. They were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. I don't make any money from this fan fiction and I never will. This is for entertainment purposes only.

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 _ **Note- We have skipped ahead in time and the turtles are now 15.**_

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It had been raining for most of the day while April had been at school and it was bucketing down now. Deciding that she would stop off at the turtles' lair before heading home, her clothes were soaked through before she could reach the nearest manhole cover.

Sloshing her way through the flooded subway tunnels, April was almost at the turtles' lair when she realised that she hadn't called ahead to let them know that she was going to visit. She hadn't known the turtles for that long so she would usually call Donnie first to make sure it was okay to stop by but she'd dropped her mobile in a puddle on the way to school and it wouldn't switch on anymore.

She doubted that they would mind her stopping by unannounced though. Whenever she'd visited in the past, Leo was always friendly, Mikey greeted her with a back breaking hug and Donatello was quickly becoming one of her best friends. She needed to find out if the turtles had any more information on the people who had kidnapped her father. There was also a school assignment that she needed Donnie's help with. She'd been putting off doing it for the last two weeks and it was due tomorrow.

"Hello, anyone at home?" When she wasn't instantly greeted by Donatello as she pushed her way through the subway turnstiles or nearly crushed by one of Michelangelo's hugs, she decided to start looking to see if anybody was around. When she couldn't find anyone in their usual places she was pretty sure that she was alone in the lair. It was rare for the turtles' home to be empty and her curiosity got the better of her as she decided to explore the only part of the lair she had never been invited in to; the turtles' bedrooms.

She didn't understand why she had never seen the boys' rooms. They had no problem using her bedroom window to come in and out of her house all the time. Although she'd never been told that she could go into their rooms, she'd never been told that she couldn't either. She had always hung out in the common area, the dojo or Donnie's lab and the subject had never come up.

She walked past the pinball machine and up the stairs to the alcoves that housed the four turtles' bedrooms. She had no idea which room belonged to which turtle so she randomly selected one and opened the door.

The room she stepped into was obviously Leo's. None of the other turtles could be this neat.

There was not a speck of dust or dirt anywhere in the room, which she found impressive considering he lived in a sewer. He had very few possessions she noticed. There was no wardrobe or chest of drawers in the room. Looking under the bed she saw that he had no junk shoved underneath it like she did. All of the few items he owned were neatly set out on a bookshelf. There was a stack of shuriken, some tools to care for his blades and a few knick knacks that he must have found down in the sewers. And neatly stacked in pride of place on the top shelf was Leo's collection of plastic covered Space Heroes comic books.

The bed itself was made with the sheets tucked in so tight that a wrinkle or crease wouldn't dare to form. This did not look like the room of a teenage boy.

The only untidy part of Leo's room was the wall above his bed that he had covered in photos of his family and Space Heroes posters. As dorky as it was, it was nice to see him adding his own personal touches to a room that would otherwise look unlived in and uninviting.

Thinking she'd pried enough already, she left Leo's room. The still, quiet of the lair urged her to take a peek into another room.

The next door had a stop sign nailed to it with posters from modern ninja magazine taped all around. The first thing she saw when she opened the door was Raphael lying on his bed with his headphones on. He had been snoozing face down with his arms supporting his head but woke up as soon as the door opened. The shocked, unguarded expression that first greeted April quickly morphed into his usual bored scowl as he took his headphones off and tossed them on top of his boom box.

"What are you doing in my room?" Raph asked uncharacteristically calm as he lay his head to the side so that he could still see her out of one eye.

April was confused. She'd assumed that the penalty for sneaking around in Raph's room was disembowelment. At least that was what she'd heard him tell Mikey. But as she stood there stunned while trying to think up a convincing excuse, she noticed Raph's eyes slowly begin to close again and his entire body relaxed like he'd fallen asleep.

"Raph are you okay?" April asked worriedly as she took a step towards him.

"Yep," he answered, not opening his eyes.

"You're acting a little different is all," She looked him over, unsure what was going on. When she got no reply, she walked up to him and tried to shake him awake but quickly pulled her hand back in shock as soon as she touched his shell. It was hot, like burning.

"Raph you're really hot," she exclaimed.

"Don't let Donnie hear you say that," Raph half laughed at his own joke before starting to drift off again.

This was starting to unsettle April. "What's wrong with you? Are you ill? Why do you keep falling asleep?" She fired off rapidly.

"I'm not sleeping. I'm basking," he stated flatly as he pointed at the lamp fixed to the roof above his bed.

"Basking?"She looked up at the light, still feeling slightly puzzled.

"Basking, you know, it's like lying in the sun for UV rays and warmth and stuff," he explained as he sat up and switched the lamp off.

"I know what basking is. I just didn't know that you guys did it."

On his feet now, Raph cracked his neck and stretched his arms above his head. April was starting to feel a little uneasy about having been snooping in his room now that he seemed a bit more like his usual self.

"I'm sorry I disturbed you. I'll wait for the guys in the living room."

"Nah, I shoulda gotten up ages ago. Besides, the speaker in my headphones keeps droppin' out. I'll have to get Donnie to fix 'em."

He left the room without saying another word. April followed as he walked into the common room. She sat down rigidly on the couch in front of the TV as Raph opened up one of the pizza boxes sitting around the room and took a bite of leftover peperoni pizza while flopping down onto the beanbag. He started humming to himself, nodding his head and tapping his foot to the beat of the song stuck in his head.

"You seem in a good mood today," April mentioned, weary that at any moment Angry Raph could return and that he might not be so casual about her snooping around. She hoped that one of the others would come home soon. She had never been alone with just Raphael before and to be honest, she didn't feel anywhere near as comfortable around him as she did the other turtles. She had witnessed his sudden mood swings towards his brothers. Getting him mad was a bad idea. That much she knew about him.

"What can I say? Basking, it makes me feel good... And hungry," he responded as he shoved an entire slice of pizza into his mouth. April had no idea how the boys could do that. It was a feat that both amazed and disgusted her.

April didn't know what to say. She'd never actually spoken to Raph before and all that she could focus on were the words, _'don't get him angry, don't get him angry,'_ that were playing through her head on a continuous loop.

"All turtles do it," he said after finishing his slice.

"Do what?" April was surprised, Raphael didn't sound like he usually would. It probably had something to do with the fact that he hadn't made a single sarcastic and or angry comment the entire conversation and it made him seem different.

"Basking. It's very important. Helps regulate body temperature, growth rate, boosts the immune system as well as prevent things like Metabolic Bone Disease, malnutrition and shell rot."

' _Wow,'_ That was the longest sentence she'd ever heard him use. But she wasn't convinced that basking could be as essential to them as it was to ordinary turtles. They weren't even cold blooded.

"That stuff happens to ordinary pet turtles. What makes you think it could happen to you guys?"

"'Cause it happened to me." Raph threw his half eaten slice of pizza back into the box, staring April down like he would Leo when he was getting ready for an argument. The old Raph was back and his fuse was very short at the moment.

April shuffled uncomfortably as she quickly tried to think of a way to defuse the situation, "What happened?" she asked cautiously.

Raph sat still for a moment, looking April over as if trying to assess whether he should tell her anything or not.

"Alright then, I'll tell you. You see these scars on my shell?" His entire body was littered with scars. The most noticeable blemishes being the discoloured patches and misshapen scutes marring his golden carapace and plastron. There were also missing chunks of shell that were definitely more obvious on him than any of his brothers.

April had never examined any of the turtles this closely before. She'd never had the courage to ask if she could.

"I'd always assumed they were battle scars." She wanted to reach a hand out and trace over the scared keratin but thought better of it, seeing as this was Raph she was dealing with.

"They're not," he grumbled seriously. "You wanna hear the story?"

April nodded, more intrigued than ever now. Raph sat down next to her on the couch, ready to begin his story.

. . . . ... . ... . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

April was speechless. She had no idea that the turtles had been through anything like that in their lives. She knew living in the sewers couldn't have been easy, but the turtles all looked so strong and healthy and she'd never seen any of them sick ever; especially Raphael. He was built like a tank, the strongest of all of his brothers and his personality; he was the stereotyped tough guy. What she was hearing seemed almost unbelievable. Raph as a sick, bedridden child, crying at his younger brother's insults. It was hard to imagine that, that child and the Raphael sitting next to her were the same person. There were so many questions that she now needed answered.

But before she could ask anything, the distant sound of Donatello and Mikey arguing caught their attention.

"You don't say a word of this to anyone. Understand?" Raph stood looming over April in a threatening gesture.

She nodded frantically, swallowing loudly out of nervousness. Satisfied that she was sufficiently intimidated so that she wouldn't blab to the others, Raph straightened up and walked out of the room as his three brothers came into the common area and crashed on the couch.

"What was that about?" Leo asked while flicking through the TV channels with the remote.

"Oh nothing, we were just talking," April tried to act nonchalant, hoping they wouldn't notice how shaken up she was. Leo looked over at her, picking up that she wasn't telling the complete truth but decided to let it go.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Donnie asked, trying to get her attention on him before mentally face palming at how dorky that must have sounded.

"I wanted to see if you guys had any news on my father," April asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry April, we haven't seen or heard anything in weeks."

April felt a wave of disappointment and sadness wash over her.

"That's okay Donnie. I know you're doing your best." She gave Donatello a small smile of appreciation because she knew how hard he'd been working to find her father. April could tell that Donatello was genuinely upset that they hadn't been able to reunite her with her with her dad yet. It was nice having someone care about her as much as Donnie did.

"I also wanted to ask you if you could help me with my science assignment? It's due tomorrow and I haven't even started it yet."

His face lit up at her request. The only thing Donnie enjoyed more than science was spending time with April; so helping April with her science project was like a dream come true for him.

"Let's go into my lab, it'll be easier to concentrate there, less noise and distractions." Donnie lead April into his lab, looking back to see his youngest brother giving him a thumbs up from the couch.

Once April and Donnie had disappeared into the lab, Raph came out of his room and flopped down on the couch between Leo and Mikey.

"So how'd it go? Anything wrong?" He asked Leo before focusing on the television.

"Just a false alarm."

"It was kind of boring actually," Mikey joined in the conversation. "Lots of cockroaches though. There was hundreds of 'em all over the ceiling and walls trying to escape the water. You would've hated it."

Raph shuddered at the thought of the creepy things but tried to hide it. He didn't need Mikey teasing him about roaches anymore than he already did.

"So no evil villains in the sewers messing with our security then?" Raph asked, seeing as that was what they were worried had happened when some of Donnie's security cameras stopped working and the reason his brothers had left the lair in the first place.

"No. All the rain we've had recently flooded some of the tunnels. The water damaged a couple of Donnie's security cameras. That's why they stopped transmitting."

"Good. 'Cause I would've hated to miss out on giving a bad guy a beat down," Raph chuckled and left his brothers to their show as he headed towards the kitchen.

Pulling back the curtain across the kitchen doorway, Raph jumped in surprise to see his father getting a cheese-cicle from the freezer.

"Sensei, I thought you'd left the lair." Raph then tried to cover up his shock. A ninja was never meant to be caught off guard like he just had been and Splinter hadn't even been trying to sneak around.

"I did leave and then I returned," he smirked at his son.

Raphael knew what that look meant. It meant that there would be extra training tomorrow and some humiliating lesson to ensure he stayed ever vigilant from now on.

"When did you return?"

"While you were talking to Miss O'Neil. Which reminds me…" Splinter took a bag off of the counter and handed it to Raph. "Your vitamins Raphael."

"Thanks Sensei." Raph searched through the bag, checking that everything he needed was there. "How was the Doc?"

"He is well. He sends his regards."

Raph nodded thoughtfully in acknowledgement as he put the bottles of pills and powders away in the cupboard. He headed over to the curtain covering the kitchen doorway and pushed it aside. He was about to leave when he paused. He let the curtain drop back down and turned around.

"Thanks for doing this Sensei." He wrapped his arms around his father. "Love you Dad."

"I love you too my son."

….… …. … ….. … … … …. ….

 **That was the final chapter of "A Young Turtles Story."**

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